It's time to keep our rankings for the top 25 Houston Texans for the 2026 season pushing forward, narrowing down which players will have the biggest impact for this coming year.
Following our last two entries of rookies Keylan Rutledge at No. 25 and Kayden McDonald at No. 24, now comes a player who's not too far removed from his own first-year campaign: offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, who comes in as the No. 23 ranked player for 2026:
It's easy to pinpoint why Ersery is pivotal to the Texans' success moving forward this year and for any point forward that he's on this offense: as the tackle protecting the left side of C.J. Stroud, he's the most important piece of anyone on Houston's five-man front. Period.
Physically, he's got all the tools you want in an NFL tackle. He's got imposing size and length at 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, and pairs that with ideal length and quickness for the position.
But he's a raw product compared to many of the veteran pieces Houston has on their offensive line--at least he was this time last year. Now, he's gotten more time to develop, a full regular season and a couple of playoff games under his belt, and has no reason not to be better than his 2025 sample size had shown.
Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery (79) in action during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
If he can pair his physical upside with a better technical skillset, the sky is the limit for how productive of a tackle he can be . In reality, there's a slim chance he could be the best player on Houston's offensive front. Though a lot has to swing around in the right direction for that to truly come to fruition.
- Standout size for the position
- Possesses impressive movement skills
- Has good quickness out of stance
- Penalty issues, had 11 flags in 2025
- Has struggled with consistency since college
- Unrefined as a run blocker
The Texans did see Ersery miss a small stretch of time last season, being ruled out for one game in Week 17 against the LA Chargers for a hand issue. And in that outing, Houston decided to shift Blake Fisher into that starting role at left tackle; a game Trent Brown would end up missing due to injury as well.
Those same two depth pieces will remain in the fold for the 2026 campaign, offering a bit of added security if Ersery is out for any time again. Ideally, though, the Texans could have Brown healthy fill in as a swing tackle to play on either side, and perhaps be the first man up for those duties on the left side.
Ersery's health will be critical for the Texans' sustained success throughout the season. However, Houston's got enough depth behind him to avoid any panic for a short-term window of missed time.
Ersery could be among those on the Texans' roster with the best chance of a year-two jump. And if he's able to find that spark, it'll be massive for this offensive line to see a step in the right direction from their recent inconsistencies.
Yet, with the small sample size we have now, he just hasn't shown enough to warrant a spot higher than right outside the top 20 of players on the Texans' roster.
He allowed seven sacks last season, was one of the worst tackles in the league when it came to managing penalties, and also ranked as one of the bleakest run blockers in the league, which is a can't-have for this Texans offense that struggled finding traction on the ground as-is.
Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery (79) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Of course, he's only in his second year as a starting left tackle in the NFL, and Ersery was a prospect pegged as someone who needed extra development once making the transition from the college game. So cutting him a bit of slack for the ups and downs of year one is important to be mindful of.
But now comes an ever-important second season; one where he's now had a full year of development in the Texans' system, the ability to get better refined physically, and sets the stage for some major expectations . Time will tell if he'll be able to meet the mark on them.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans OT Aireontae Ersery: Ranks No. 23, But Desperately Needs a Big 2026 .
